Athens, Sept 25: A former Russian media tycoon accused of fraud and money laundering in his homeland claimed today that 'political motives' were behind the request for his extradition. Vladimir Gusinsky, who once controlled Russia's influential NTV television network, also told a three-judge panel that he would be unable to properly defend himself in a Russian judicial system he described as influenced by outside pressures. "All the documents that have been sent here for my extradition are fabrications", Gusinsky told the court through an interpreter. "The Russian authorities have clear political motives. In Russia, there is no independent justice.'' Gusinsky, 50, claims the charges against him were engineered in retaliation for NTV's critical coverage of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the war in Chechnya. "In essence, I don't have the right to just representation (in Russia)", said Gusinsky, who was among the powerful 'oligarchs' who made fortunes following the collapse of Soviet communism and cast a strong influence over political affairs.
Bureau report